JBER town hall questions, answers

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ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Answers to these questions may vary between appropriated fund employees and non-appropriated fund employees. In these cases, we have differentiated between the two by using "APF" to represent appropriated fund and "NAF" to represent non-appropriated fund. APF are the employees in pay plans designated GS, WG, WL, WS and NSPS pay plans beginning in Y (YA, YC, etc). NAF employees are the employees in pay plans NF, NA, NL, NS and CY employees.

Q1. Clarify the official date for all personnel actions.

A1. The NAF employees will transfer on Oct. 1, 2010. The Army APF employees will transfer on Oct. 10, 2010.

Q2. Will Army GS employees maintain their pay but lose a GS level (i.e., GS-11 changed to a GS-09)? Will we stay at our current grade?

A2. All APF employees will transfer into the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson at the grade/payband and pay level they have immediately prior to the transfer.

Q3. Are APF employees going to have to recompete for our current position?

A3. No, APF employees will transfer into JBER in the position they hold at the time of transfer.

Q4. Will employee information packets be distributed to current Army employees with Air Force Civilian Personnel Office and Finance contacts? If so, when?

A4. Contact information for the JBER Civilian Personnel Office, JBER NAF Human Resources Office, the customer service liaison for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service and the NAF payroll liaison will be included in the welcome packets. Army APF employees will also be receiving a document from the Air Force Personnel Center Benefits and Entitlements Service Team that will walk them through how to access Air Force benefits information, etc. All of this information will be distributed during in-processing sessions which will be held prior to October 2010.

Q5. What payroll system will JBER use?

A5. The APF and NAF payroll processes used for the JBER, such as time and attendance input, will be the current Air Force processes. For some employees, there may be changes in time and attendance reporting processes; however, the system that pays APF civilians is the same for both services and members from both the HR and finance communities will be working hard to ensure no interruptions in pay for transferring employees.
For APF employees, Defense Finance and Accounting Service is responsible for the payroll function for all the services (Army, Air Force, etc.). There is a section within DFAS that has responsibility for Air Force and another section has responsibility for Army, etc. Army APF employees' payroll information will transfer to the Air Force section within DFAS.
The NAF employees' payroll information will transfer to the Air Force NAF payroll offices.

Q6. Will current GS employees in the Army be transferred to the NSPS system?

A6. All employees will transfer into the joint base "as is." If you are GS prior to transfer, you will be GS after transfer. Note: The 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, signed by President Barack Obama on Oct. 28 2009, requires the DoD to phase out NSPS by not later than Jan. 1, 2012. If you are NSPS prior to transfer, you may or may not remain NSPS after transfer, depending upon how NSPS repeal processes 8are implemented in the Air Force. More information will be known on the impact of NSPS repeal as it is disseminated from DoD, Army and Air Force.

Q7. How do training records transfer?

A7. Current APF automated personnel records, which include training records, will electronically transfer to the Air Force automated personnel records. This information will be accessible to civilian employees through My Biz for review.
Training records for NAF employees that document training materially enhancing the employee's qualifications or have a bearing on the employee's future employment opportunities are filed on the right side of the employee's Official Personnel Folder. Training documents that do not fit this description such as file maintenance, orientation, safety, etc. are filed in the Supervisor's Employee Work Folders. The NAF OPFs will transfer to the Air Force NAF HR Office.

Q8. What if your current qualifications meet Army standards but do not meet qualifications for the Air Force job?

A8. Qualification standards are the same for all Federal employees whether Army, Air Force or any other federal agency. We will be looking very closely at the joint base positions in the next couple of months to determine where there may be differences in conditions of employment (such as specific training requirements, clearances, licenses, etc.) compared to current Army or Air Force positions. Once these are identified (if any), we will address the issues and determine a course of action. More to come on this.

Q9. What will happen to those Army employees who are in a leave without pay status on Oct. 1, 2010? How will they not be disadvantaged while searching for jobs at Army installations that are announced as "Army only."

A9. Army employees on LWOP at FOC will still be transferred into JBER and will become Air Force employees. After FOC, if an Army position vacancy is advertised with an area of consideration limited to Army only, only Army employees will be considered.

Q10. If you have started buy back of military time, will it transfer over?

A10. Yes, All payroll information, including actions that are in progress such as buying back military time will transfer over.

Q11. Will there be a RIF once employees are transferred to the JBER?

A11. There is no reduction-in-force planned for JBER at FOC. The possibility that a RIF might occur in the future does not increase with joint basing. Future year budget and mission constraints drive the use of RIF and is no different than the possibility that there could be a RIF in your current (pre-transfer to JBER) organization.

Q12. Will there be any offerings of voluntary separation incentive pay (VSIP) or voluntary early retirement (VERA)?

A12. There are no plans for offering VERA or VSIP at this time.

Q13. What will happen to temporary or term employees? Will temporary or term employees be converted to permanent?

A13. Some temporary or term positions will transfer to JBER as is (temporary or term). Some positions that are now filled by temporary or term employees are part of the shortfall positions that will be competitively filled. In most cases, it is to our advantage to try to place our current temporary and term employees in these positions. While this may not be possible in every case, we will work toward that end.

Q14. How will situations be handled where there is only one "Chief" slot but each service currently has a Chief? What will happen to the Chief not selected, because no additional slot exists for them? Will a slot be created?

A14. It is anticipated that there will be some duplicate manager positions. We are currently reviewing the organizations to identify these situations. We will utilize APF and NAF HR flexibilities to the extent possible to mitigate adverse impact.

Q15. What if we do have to provide resumes for Air Force skills coding and Air Force does not find us qualified for the job we are doing?

A15. The qualification standards used for the Army and the Air Force are the same. If you are qualified for the Army position, you will be qualified for the same position for the Air Force. In this case, skill codes would be used primarily to document an employee's experience based on the duties of the position.

Q16. Will JBER improve pay scales for low paying grade scales; GS-05 and below is working for minimal wage.

A16. Army and Air Force positions use the same APF pay scales that are established by the Office of Personnel Management. JBER does not have the authority to establish new pay scales.